What to Expect When Getting Your Wisdom Teeth Removed
September 22, 2022 1:30 am |If you have them, wisdom teeth will be the last set of adult molars to erupt. The eruption typically occurs in your late teens or early 20s. These third molars are located at the very back of the mouth, which can be challenging to reach for cleaning. Often, they do not fully emerge or come in crooked. Problems with your wisdom teeth can damage your neighboring teeth and increase your risk of dental disease.
Preparing for Wisdom Teeth Removal
Your dental team will take X-rays and a perform a thorough examination of your mouth and jaw to determine if you’d benefit from wisdom teeth removal. If removal is recommended, you’ll be given information to help you prepare for the procedure, such as:
- Necessity of having a ride to and from our office
- Importance of scheduling time off work or school so you can rest and recover
- How to keep the extraction site clean & prevent infection
- What foods to eat post-extraction
- How to prevent dry socket
What exactly happens during your oral surgery depends on how many wisdom teeth are being extracted and if any are impacted. But generally, we will apply anesthetic to make sure you are comfortable before proceeding.
Basic Wisdom Tooth Extraction
If your wisdom teeth have erupted, we will use our dental tools to loosen and wiggle the tooth in its socket. Then, we will use dental forceps to pull the tooth out of the jawbone, make sure the area is clean, and suture the site shut.
Surgical Wisdom Tooth Extraction
For impacted wisdom teeth, we use special tools to make a small incision in your gums. We will cut the tooth into small parts for extraction, clean the site, and then apply sutures.
Wisdom Teeth Removal in Washington, DC
At New Columbia Dentistry, our team does our best to help you feel comfortable during any dental treatment. Please let us know if you have questions about what to expect for an upcoming wisdom teeth removal. Please contact us today!
Wisdom teeth image from Authority Dental under CC 2.0
Categorised in: Restorative Dental Care